Digital touch screen device and method of using the same

ABSTRACT

Some embodiments on the invention are directed to displaying and viewing secure digital contents on touch screen displays. In one embodiment, a digital content such as image, text, or video is displayed on a touch screen display. An obscured layer that prevents viewing of the content protects the digital content. The obscured layer can be temporarily removed by a finger stroke in any direction on the touch screen display. As the finger is moved on the screen the area underneath the stroke is cleared and the content is revealed. The cleared area is then obscured again after a predetermined amount of time. This novel method prevents saving the digital content by taking a screenshot.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of, and hereby claims priority under35 U.S.C. § 120 to, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/256,742,Attorney Docket Number P101-1NUS, entitled “DIGITAL TOUCH SCREEN DEVICEAND METHOD OF USING THE SAME,” by inventor Faryar Ghazanfari, filed 6Sep. 2016, which claims benefit of the following U.S. ProvisionalApplications: Application No. 62/218,572 filed on Sep. 15, 2015,entitled “Digital Touch Screen Device and Method of Using the Same,”Application No. 62/218,569, filed on Sep. 15, 2015, entitled “DigitalTouch Screen Device and Method of Using the Same,” Application No.62/218,574, filed on Sep. 15, 2015, entitled “Digital Touch ScreenDevice and Method of Using the Same,” Application No. 62/218,575, filedon Sep. 15, 2015, entitled “Systems, Methods, and apparatus for SecurelyDisplaying Digital Content on a Touch Screen Display,” and ApplicationNo. 62/218,576, filed on Sep. 15, 2015, entitled “Systems, Methods andApparatus for Generating Digital Content,” all of which are incorporatedherein by reference in their entirety for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

Embodiments of the invention disclose several embodiments of a securedigital screen that allows viewing of electronic data while providingone or more security features. Such security features prevent saving theentirety of data being displayed, and also prevent unauthorized viewingof the entirety of displayed data.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a system, according to an embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 2 shows a portable multifunction device, according to an embodimentof the invention.

FIG. 3 shows a portable multifunction device, according to an embodimentof the invention.

FIG. 4 shows a method of using the portable multifunction device,according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 shows a method of using the portable multifunction device,according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 shows a method of using the portable multifunction device,according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 shows an obscured layer that has been partially cleared (or“wiped”) by three strokes of finger, according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 8A shows a method of using the portable multifunction device,according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8B shows a method of using the portable multifunction device,according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8C shows a method of using the portable multifunction device,according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8D shows a method of using the portable multifunction device,according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 shows a method of generating image data, according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 10 shows a method of generating image data, according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 11 shows a method of generating image data, according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 12 shows a method of generating image data, according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 13 shows a method of generating image data, according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 14 shows a method of using the portable multifunction device,according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 15 shows a method of using the portable multifunction device,according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 16 shows a method of using the portable multifunction device,according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 17 shows a method of using the portable multifunction device,according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 18 shows a method of using the portable multifunction device,according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 19 shows a method of using the portable multifunction device,according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 20 shows a method of using the portable multifunction device,according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 21 shows a method of using the portable multifunction device,according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 22 shows various elements of the portable multifunction device,according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the invention disclosed herein include systems andmethods for viewing content on a touch screen device in a secure manner.

In one embodiment, a touch screen device views content (such as images,text, video, etc.) behind a layer that obscures the content such thatone cannot see the content. If a finger is placed on the touch screen,the area underneath the finger is cleared such that the content becomesvisible. If the finger is dragged from a first coordinate to a secondcoordinate in any direction, then the stroke path from the firstcoordinate to the second coordinate on the screen is cleared such thatthe content that happens to be in the same coordinates as the strokepath is cleared and visible by the eye. To view the entirety of thecontent the entire surface of a touch display may have to be touched(i.e. finger is dragged in a continuous motion) to clear the layer thathas obscured the content.

In another embodiment, every portion of the touch screen display can becleared for a predetermined amount of time, and after that time, thatportion of the touch screen may be obscured again to render the contentinvisible or hard to read/see. For example, as a path is cleared from afirst coordinate on the touch screen to a second coordinate on the touchscreen, the cleared path may become obscured again after a predeterminedamount of time. Therefore, the entirety of the content shown on thetouch screen is not visible at any given point in time, and the clearinggesture of a finger only makes a portion of the content visible for acertain period of time after which the content is obscured again. Thistechnique prevents saving the entirety of the content with a screenshot.Some electronic devices with touch screens have a screen capturefunctionality that is managed by a firmware and cannot be disabled bysoftware running on the device. Also, some operating systems (such asApple's iOS) allow for receiving notification when the screen capturefunctionality is activated, but do not provide the ability to disablethe screen capture functionality. Embodiments of the invention preventthe screen capture function of the device from saving the entire contentin a visible manner. Instead what is saved by the screen capturefunctionality may be at best a partial view of the content.

In one embodiment, when a finger is dragged from a first coordinate onthe touch screen toward a second coordinate, a path may be cleared andthe content underneath that path may become visible for a predeterminedamount of time as described above. However, in addition to the “timelag” where the visible portion is obscured again after a certain amountof time, if the finger is lifted off the screen, the entirety of thescreen may be obscured regardless of how much viewing time stillremains. As a result, the area that can be captured with a screencapture functionality of a device is reduced further.

In one embodiment, as a user is clearing the touch screen with a finger,the front-facing camera of an electronic device can start recording avideo. The recording may stop when the user is done viewing the contentand stops clearing the screen. The recorded video may then betransmitted back to the sender of the content so that the sender canview the recipient at the very moment that the transmitted content wasbeing viewed. In another embodiment, in addition to the recording, thefinger stroke path of the user may also be saved or recorded andtransmitted back to the sender of the content. In addition or in lieu ofthe video of the recipient, the sender may also see a screen recordingof the recipient's touch screen as the finger strokes were clearing thescreen and the content was being viewed.

In another embodiment, the front facing camera records and/or may take apicture from the face of the recipient. The picture and/or video maythen be analyzed by a face-recognition algorithm to authenticate therecipient. After authentication of the recipient, the clearing of thescreen by finger stroke may be enabled, or the entirety of the contentmay appear on the screen.

An overview of a typical touch screen is provided below. It will beunderstood by those skilled in the art, that the following overview willnot be limiting and the description below explains the basic method ofoperation of touch screen devices. Electronic devices can use differentmethods to detect a person's input on a touch screen. Most of them usesensors and circuitry to monitor changes in a particular state. Many,including the iPhone (designed and manufactured by Apple, Inc. inCalifornia), monitor changes in electrical current. Others monitorchanges in the reflection of waves. These can be sound waves or beams ofnear-infrared light. Other systems may use transducers to measurechanges in vibration caused when finger hits the screen's surface orcameras to monitor changes in light and shadow.

When a finger is placed on the screen, it may change the state that thedevice is monitoring. In screens that rely on sound or light waves, afinger physically blocks or reflects some of the waves. Capacitive touchscreens such as iPhone use a layer of capacitive material to hold anelectrical charge. Touching the screen changes the amount of charge at aspecific point of contact. In resistive screens, the pressure from afinger causes conductive and resistive layers of circuitry to touch eachother, changing the circuits' resistance. In either case the detectedtouch by the hardware may then be translated into data by one or morefirmware and such data be made available to the operating system whichin turn allows software to receive such data and use it as needed.

In some embodiments, heuristics are used to translate imprecise fingergestures into actions desired by the user. The heuristics may becontrolled by the software or may be controlled by lower level softwarewithin the operating system. For example, in iPhone, software (or Apps)receive the touch data from a class called UIResponder. The hardwaregenerate electronic data that result from the finger touching the screenand provide that data to the operating system (iOS in case of iPhone).The operating system then provides that data to higher level softwarevia one or more defined classes.

Attention is now directed towards embodiments of the device. FIG. 1 is ablock diagrams illustrating portable multifunction devices 100 withtouch-sensitive displays 130 in accordance with some embodiments. Thetouch-sensitive display 132 is sometimes called a “touch screen” forconvenience, and may also be known as or called a touch-sensitivedisplay system. The device 100 may include a memory 102 (which mayinclude one or more computer readable storage mediums), a memorycontroller 112, one or more processing units (CPU's) 110, a peripheralsinterface 114, RF circuitryl 16, audio circuitry 118 (which include aspeaker and a microphone), Proximity sensor 120, Accelerometer(s) 122,an input/output (I/O) subsystem 124, other input or control devices 130,Optical sensor(s) controller 128, display controller 126, touchsensitive display system 132, optical sensor(s) (camera) 134 and otherinput control devices 136. These components may communicate over one ormore communication buses or signal lines 101.

It should be appreciated that the device 100 is only one example of aportable multifunction device 100, and that the device 100 may have moreor fewer components than shown, may combine two or more components, or amay have a different configuration or arrangement of the components. Thevarious components shown in FIG. 1 may be implemented in hardware,software or a combination of both hardware and software, including oneor more signal processing and/or application specific integratedcircuits.

Memory 102 may include high-speed random access memory and may alsoinclude non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic disk storagedevices, flash memory devices, or other non-volatile solid-state memorydevices. Access to memory 102 by other components of the device 100,such as the processor(s) 110 and the peripherals interface 114, may becontrolled by the memory controller 112.

The peripherals interface 114 couples the input and output peripheralsof the device to the processor(s) 110 and memory 102. The processors(s)110 run or execute various software programs and/or sets of instructionsstored in memory 102 to perform various functions for the device 100 andto process data.

The I/O subsystem 124 couples input/output peripherals on the device100, such as the touch screen screen 132 and other input/control devices136, to the peripherals interface 114. The I/O subsystem 126 may includea display controller 126 and one or more input controllers 130 for otherinput or control devices. The input controllers 160 may receive/sendelectrical signals from/to other input or control devices 116. The otherinput/control devices 130 may include physical buttons (e.g., pushbuttons, rocker buttons, etc.), dials, slider switches, joysticks, clickwheels, and so forth. In some alternate embodiments, input controller(s)130 may be coupled to any (or none) of the following: a keyboard,infrared port, USB port, and a pointer device such as a mouse.

The touch-sensitive touch screen 132 provides an input interface and anoutput interface between the device and a user. As explained above, thedisplay controller 126 receives and/or sends electrical signals from/tothe touch screen 132. The touch screen 132 displays visual output to theuser. The visual output may include graphics, text, icons, video, andany combination thereof (collectively termed “graphics”, “electroniccontent”, and/or “electronic data”). In some embodiments, some or all ofthe visual output may correspond to user-interface objects, furtherdetails of which are described below.

A touch screen 132 has a touch-sensitive surface, sensor or set ofsensors that accept input from the user based on haptic and/or tactilecontact. The touch screen 132 and the display controller 126 (along withany associated modules and/or sets of instructions in memory 102) detectcontact (and any movement or breaking of the contact) on the touchscreen 132 and convert the detected contact into interaction withuser-interface objects (e.g., one or more soft keys, icons, web pages orimages) that are displayed on the touch screen. In an exemplaryembodiment, a point of contact between a touch screen 132 and the usercorresponds to a finger of the user.

The touch screen 132 may use LCD (liquid crystal display) technology, orLPD (light emitting polymer display) technology, although other displaytechnologies may be used in other embodiments. The touch screen 132 andthe display controller 126 may detect contact and any movement orbreaking thereof using any of a plurality of touch sensing technologiesnow known or later developed, including but not limited to capacitive,resistive, infrared, and surface acoustic wave technologies, as well asother proximity sensor arrays or other elements for determining one ormore points of contact with a touch screen 132.

A touch-sensitive display in some embodiments of the touch screen 132may be analogous to the multi-touch sensitive tablets described in thefollowing U.S. patents: U.S. Pat. No. 6,323,846 (Westerman et al.), U.S.Pat. No. 6,570,557 (Westerman et al.), and/or U.S. Pat. No. 6,677,932(Westerman), and/or U.S. Patent Publication 2002/0015024A1, each ofwhich is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

A touch-sensitive display in some embodiments of the touch screen 132may be as described in the following applications: (1) U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/381,313, “Multipoint Touch Surface Controller,”filed May 2, 2006; (2) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/840,862,“Multipoint Touchscreen,” filed May 6, 2004; (3) U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/903,964, “Gestures For Touch Sensitive Input Devices,” filedJul. 30, 2004; (4) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/048,264,“Gestures For Touch Sensitive Input Devices,” filed Jan. 31, 2005; (5)U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/038,590, “Mode-Based Graphical UserInterfaces For Touch Sensitive Input Devices,” filed Jan. 18, 2005; (6)U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/228,758, “Virtual Input DevicePlacement On A Touch Screen User Interface,” filed Sep. 16, 2005; (7)U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/228,700, “Operation Of A ComputerWith A Touch Screen Interface,” filed Sep. 16, 2005; (8) U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/228,737, “Activating Virtual Keys Of ATouch-Screen Virtual Keyboard,” filed Sep. 16, 2005; and (9) U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/367,749, “Multi-Functional Hand-Held Device,”filed Mar. 3, 2006. All of these applications are incorporated byreference herein in their entirety.

The touch screen 132 may have a resolution in excess of 100 dpi. In anexemplary embodiment, the touch screen may have a resolution ofapproximately between 326-401 dpi or more. The user may make contactwith the touch screen 132 using any suitable object or appendage, suchas a stylus, a finger, and so forth. In some embodiments, the userinterface is designed to work primarily with finger-based contacts andgestures, which are much less precise than stylus-based input due to thelarger area of contact of a finger on the touch screen. In someembodiments, the device translates the rough finger-based input into aprecise pointer/cursor position or command for performing the actionsdesired by the user using various heuristics.

In some embodiments, the software components stored in memory 102 mayinclude a secure display module 104 which allows viewing electroniccontents such as text, image and video is a secure fashion. Memory 102may include other modules that store various other control logics suchas an operating system, a communication module (or set of instructions),a contact/motion module (or set of instructions), a graphics module (orset of instructions), a text input module (or set of instructions), aGlobal Positioning System (GPS) module (or set of instructions), andapplications (or set of instructions).

The operating system (e.g., Darwin, RTXC, LINUX, UNIX, OS X, WINDOWS, oran embedded operating system such as VxWorks) includes various softwarecomponents and/or drivers for controlling and managing general systemtasks (e.g., memory management, storage device control, powermanagement, etc.) and facilitates communication between various hardwareand software components.

The contact/motion module may detect contact with the touch screen 132(in conjunction with the display controller 126) and other touchsensitive devices (e.g., a touchpad or physical click wheel). Thecontact/motion module includes various software components forperforming various operations related to detection of contact, such asdetermining if contact has occurred, determining if there is movement ofthe contact and tracking the movement across the touch screen 132, anddetermining if the contact has been broken (i.e., if the contact hasceased). Determining movement of the point of contact may includedetermining speed (magnitude), velocity (magnitude and direction),and/or an acceleration (a change in magnitude and/or direction) of thepoint of contact. These operations may be applied to single contacts(e.g., one finger contacts) or to multiple simultaneous contacts (e.g.,“multitouch”/multiple finger contacts). In some embodiments, thecontact/motion module and the display controller 126 also detectscontact on a touchpad.

Operation of secure module display 104 will now be described withreference to the figures. FIGS. 2 and 3 show a portable multifunctiondevice 100 having the touch screen 132. It will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that even though an iPhone (manufactured by Apple,Inc.) is shown as the portable multifunction device 100, other portablemultifunction devices such (e.g. Samsung Gallaxy) may be used. Thus,portable multifunction device is not limited by examples of such deviceshown or described herein, but the term “multifunction portable device”shall be construed to mean any electronic device having at least a touchscreen display.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 the multifunction portable device 100 maydisplay content 200 which may be in the form of an image (as shown inFIG. 2) or text (as shown in FIG. 3) or a video (not shown). As notedabove, some devices allow the recipient of the electronic content tosave that content by taking a screenshot. However, the sender of thecontent may not want the recipient of the content to save it. In oneembodiment, the content may be transferred though the secure displaymodule 104 from a first device in possession of the sender of thecontent to a second device in possession of the recipient of thecontent. As shown in FIG. 4, when the recipient attempts to view thecontent using the secure display module 104, the touch screen 132appears to display an obscure layer 210 on top the content 200 whichmight be an image as shown in FIG. 4. Note that the touch screen“appears” to be displaying, from a vantage point of an end-user, that anobscure layer is on top of the content and preventing the viewing of thecontent.

As shown in FIG. 4, a finger swipe on the touch screen from point A topoint B appears to remove a portion of the obscure layer 210 thatcorrespond to an area underneath the finger. In other words, the obscurelayer can be removed by “wiping” the touch screen 132 with finger. FIG.5 is similar to FIG. 4 expect that in FIG. 5 the content is the textmessage shown in FIG. 3 whereas in FIG. 4, the content is the imageshown in FIG. 2. FIG. 6 shows that continuing to drag the finger on thetouch screen 132 continues to remove the obscure layer and will makemore of the content 200 visible.

In one embodiment, to prevent the recipient of the content from savingthe content by taking a screenshot, the area that was cleared bydragging a finger on the touch screen 132 starts to become obscuredafter a predetermined amount of time. As shown in FIGS. 8A-8D, the paththat was cleared by dragging the finger on the touch screen 132 can berefilled again to obscure the content and prevent the recipient fromsaving the content with screenshot. In one embodiment, the sender of thecontent again may determine the time it takes for the cleared path tobecome obscured again. The sender may set the time limit where a clearedarea of the content stays clear and after that time, that area of thescreen is filled with the obscured layer.

In one embodiment, the obscured layer 210 may appear as a solid color(e.g. black) or any other combination of colors, drawings, artwork,image, animation, etc. In another embodiment, the obscured layer 210 mayappear as semi-transparent blur (such as Gaussian blur) on top of theoriginal content such that the content is somewhat visible through theobscured layer. As used herein, the obscured layer 210 shall beconstrued as any layer, image, video, animation, etc. that fully orpartially hides the content from being fully viewed on the touch screen132.

One method of achieving the above-noted operation with respect toclearing the obscured layer 210 will now be described. It will beunderstood by those skilled in the art that the following description isexemplary and not limiting. FIG. 7 shows an obscured layer 310 that hasbeen partially cleared (or “wiped”) by three strokes of finger. Eachfinger path and its direction is illustrated by one arrow in FIG. 7. Inone embodiment, when a finger touches the touch screen 132 thecoordinates that correspond to the path of the finger on the touchscreen are saved in memory. For example, in FIG. 7, A2 is the collectionof pixel data representing the first path of the finger on the touchscreen 132. Similarly, A2 and A3 are collection of pixel datarepresenting the second and third path of the finger on the touch screen132. Through out the specification A2, A4, and A6 may be used tointerchangeably refer to “finger stroke”, “cleared path(s)”, and/or“pixel data” depending on the frame of reference. From the vantage pointof a recipient who is wiping the screen clean, A2, A4, and A6 representthe finger strokes that result is one or more cleared paths throughwhich the original image/text can be viewed. From the vantage point ofthe system, A2, A4, and A6 may refer to pixel data that correspond tothe locations/coordinates on the touch screen 132 where the clearedpaths are located.

In one embodiment, shown in FIG. 9, when the obscured layer is “wiped”by a finger, the entire screen is redrawn at specific frequency torepresent one image which includes pixel data from both the originalimage and the obscured layer. FIG. 9 shows original image 320 and arepresentation of that image in memory as memory block 321. FIG. 9 alsoshows obscured layer 310 and a representation it in memory as memoryblock 311. Note that 321 and 311 are not technically accuraterepresentation of how an image is stored in memory, but memory blocks321 and 311 are high level and modified representation of memory for thespecific purpose of illustrating the method of displaying an image thathas been partially cleared (or “wiped”) by a finger stroke.

In FIG. 9, A2 represents the pixel data of original image 320 that arelocated in the same coordinate (of the image) as the coordinates thatrepresent the first finger stroke shown in FIG. 7. A1 and A3 representthe remainder of pixel data that together with A2 amount torepresentation of image 320 in memory. When the first finger strokeoccurs on the touch screen 132, the coordinates of the screenrepresenting the path that the finger traveled on the touch screen aresaved in memory. Then, as shown in FIG. 10, the image 330 that isrepresented as memory block 331 is constructed from the original image320 and the image 310 (which represents the obscured layer 310 as actualimage data). The image 330, replaces the pixel data of the obscuredlayer 310 with pixel data A2 from the original image 320. This processoccurs at a high enough frequency (i.e. a number of images are drawn inrapid succession on the touch screen 132) that it appears that thefinger stroke is removing a portion of the obscured layer and revealingthe original image underneath that obscured layer. However, in thisembodiment, a new image is being drawn on the touch screen 132 at arefresh rate determined by the operating system and/or hardware of theportable multi function device 100. In one embodiment, this refresh rateis 60 frames per seconds, meaning that as the finger is traveling a pathon the touch screen, the screen is being redrawn 60 times in oneseconds, and each of the frames includes a portion of data A2 thatcorresponding to the same pixel locations that the finger has traveledon the touch screen 132.

As noted above, in one embodiment, in order to prevent the recipient ofthe content from saving the content via a screenshot, the stroke path ofthe finger is covered by the obscured layer after a predetermined amountof time. FIG. 11 shows the process of applying the obscured layer to theareas that were previously cleared (or “wiped”) by the finger stroke.Image 330 which is represented as memory block 331 includes three fingerstrokes A2, A4 and A6 (shown in FIG. 7), and the image is created fromreplacing the pixel data 311 of image 310 (i.e. the obscured layer) bythe equivalent pixel data from image 320 that correspond to the samecoordinates as the coordinates of the finger strokes shown in FIG. 7.Now, after a predetermined amount of time (Δ), an updated image 340(which is shown as memory block 341) replaces a portion of the image 330with pixel data from image 310 such that the pixel data A2 that camefrom image 320 are replaced by pixel data B2 that come from image 310.Therefore, as the screen refreshes at a predetermined frequency (e.g. 60frames per seconds), the image displayed on the screen may include newareas that are now cleared but previously were obscured and obscuredareas that were previously cleared.

The process shown in FIG. 11 is technically advantageous because thetechnique of representing both the cleared portion of the image andobscured portion of the image as one image (i.e. an image that has somepixels that represent the obscured layer and some other pixels thatrepresent the image data) is that the process of “re-obscuring” can beachieved very efficiently even when a finger is still continuing toclear some other portions of the touch screen 132. In other words, whilea finger is travelling through a path (e.g. the third finger stroke inFIG. 7) an earlier path that was cleared (e.g. first finger stroke inFIG. 7) can be re-obscured smoothly at that very moment.

Stated differently, if the process of applying the obscured layer wasachieved by presenting a second layer parts of which were being deletedby a finger stroke to reveal the image underneath the layer, then itwould have been hard to efficiently re-obscure part of the deletedobscured layer while at the same time some other portion of the obscuredlayer was being deleted. The reason is that typically drawing an imageon the screen happens on the main thread, and execution of two separateprocesses, one being deleting a portion of the obscured layer andanother being re-obscuring another portion of the image, may result intwo separate control logic (i.e. two separate parts of the code of thesoftware) to attempt to draw on the screen at the same time. When thishappens, each of the control logics (clearing and re-obscuring) getinterrupted in succession and the main thread is switched back and forthby them to accommodate their request to draw on the screen. This resultsin interruption of the clearing function by a finger stroke. Therefore,when a user is wiping the touch screen 132, the process gets momentarilyinterrupted to redraw the obscuring layer on another part of the screen.

The process shown in FIGS. 9-11, eliminate this problem by combining theclearing and re-obscuring the image in one image so that as the user iswiping the screen, the screen appears to clear the obscuring layersmoothly and without interruption while at the same time another portionis being re-obscured.

In one embodiment, to prevent the user from taking even a partialscreenshot of the content, when the finger is lifted off the touchscreen 132, the entire screen is re-obscured rapidly. In other words,instead of following the process shown in FIG. 11, the image 310 isredrawn on the screen and the entire content becomes obscured.

In one embodiment, as the obscured layer is being cleared by a fingerstroke, before the cleared part of the obscured layer is re-obscured,the cleared part goes through a process in which that area starts togradually become obscured by a series of different obscuring layers thathave transparency but the transparency decreases over time.

In one embodiment shown in FIG. 12, instead of one obscured layer 310,there are three additional obscured layers 410, 420, and 430, and eachof these obscured layer has a different transparency value such that thetransparency of layer 420 is more than 410 but less than 430. Also, eachof the obscured layers is represented as a block of memory. Memory block411 includes pixel data for layer 410 and segments B2A, B4A, and B6Ainclude the pixel data corresponding to locations A2, A4, and A6 shownin FIG. 7 for the three stroke paths. Similarly, memory blocks 421, 431,and 311 include pixel data for layers 420, 430, and 310 respectively. Inmemory block 431, segments B2C, B4C, and B6C include the pixel datacorresponding to locations A2, A4, and A6 shown in FIG. 7 for the threestroke paths. Also, in memory block 311, segments B2D, B4 d, and B6Dinclude the pixel data corresponding to locations A2, A4, and A6 shownin FIG. 7. The obscured layer 310 may be the same as the obscured layershown and described with respect to FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 shows the process of applying the different obscured layers 410,420, 430 and 310 to the touch screen 132. Referring to both FIG. 12 andFIG. 13, before the final obscured layer 310 re-obscures the clearedareas of the touch screen 132, obscured layers 410, 420 and 430 start toobscure each of the cleared paths by the finger strokes A2, A4, and A6in a successive order. As shown in FIG. 13, the pixel data B2A frommemory block 411 (FIG. 12) is applied to the pixel data in memory block501. Since, the obscured layer 410 has transparency, the pixel data ofthe original image will be still partially visible after addition ofpixel data B2A. The resulting image is shown as memory block 502 (FIG.13) where from the three cleared paths A2, A4, and A6, A2 now appears toinclude a transparent layer that somewhat obscures part of the originalimage visible through cleared path A2.

Referring to image 510 in FIG. 13, cleared path A2 now includes pixeldata B2B from obscured layer 420 (FIG. 12) and cleared path A4 nowincludes pixel data B2A from the obscured layer 410 (FIG. 12). Next, asshown in image 520 (FIG. 13), cleared path A2 now includes pixel dataB2C from the obscured layer 430 (FIG. 12), cleared path A4 includespixel data B2B obscured layer 420 (FIG. 12), and cleared path A6includes pixel data B2A from obscured layer 410 (FIG. 12). Finally, asshown in image 530, the pixel data B2D from the final obscured layer 310re-obscure the pixel data in the cleared path A2. Therefore, as therecipient is “wiping” the touch screen 132 with finger strokes, he/shemay observe an immediate and/or gradual re-obscuring of the clearedpaths in successive order such that the older cleared paths start togradually obscure until the final obscured layer that was originallyobscuring the touch screen 132 reclaims the area that was “wiped” cleanby the recipient.

The above-mentioned method is technically advantageous becauseapplication of multiple obscured layers at different times are allhandled by drawing one single image of the screen at any given time.Stated differently, if the obscured layer were going to be appliedindependently to the touch screen 132 by the display controller 126, theprocess of wiping the screen clean by the recipient would have beeninterrupted so that the main thread that is re-drawing the image on thescreen gets updated image data from other control logics of the securedisplay module 104. However, the process described with respect to FIGS.12 and 13, eliminates this technical problem by manipulating the imagedata of one single image to account for all changes at various parts ofthe screen. Hence, as the recipient is wiping the screen clean, otherparts of the image are simultaneously re-obscured smoothly and withoutany interruption.

In one embodiment, shown in FIG. 14, obscured layer 310 which may havesome transparency is placed on the image 320. When the combined layersare displayed, the digital display renders an image that will representthe resultant image 610. In this embodiment, when finger is dragged onthe touch screen, only the corresponding pixels associated with theouter layer (image 310) may be removed and the combination of the image320 and modified image 310 are rendered by the display. When the image310 has areas that are cleared (such as areas A2, A4 and A6), then image320 can be visible through the cleared areas. Also, similar to theprocess as explained above with respect to FIG. 11, the outer layer(image 310) can be redrawn successively such that the cleared area areobscured again. Depending on the type or the device and the touch screendisplay, it may technically advantageous to operate on one image (hereimage 310) and let the display handle the presentation of the resultantimage with is the combination of the image 310 to image 320.

In one embodiment, the process described above with respect to image 14,may also be employed for displaying multiple versions of the obscuredlayer with different transparency values to successively appears on thecleared areas as described above with respect to FIG. 12 and FIG. 13. Inthis embodiment, the image 320 is always supplied to the display andvarious versions of the obscured layer 310 (with differenttransparencies in different areas which may be the result of combiningimage 310 with other images shown in FIG. 12) and the display and theaccompanying hardware, firmware and/or software handle the rendering ofthe resultant image.

In one embodiment, shown in FIG. 15, when the recipient of content viewsthe obscured layer on the touch screen 132 and just before starting towipe clean the screen to view the content, a frame showing live videofeed 620 being captures by the front-facing camera 134 may appear at anylocation of the touch screen 132. In one embodiment, the recipient mayneed to authenticate himself/herself before viewing the content. Oneauthentication method may be face-recognition. The recipient maybeinstructed to look into the front-facing camera 134 and a facerecognition module (which may be part of other module(s) 103 in FIG. 1)may authenticate the recipient before allowing the screen to be clearedby finger strokes. The face recognition algorithm may be stored inmemory 102 on the portable multifunction device 100 or may reside on aremote server at which time the front facing camera can send a videorecording of recipient's face and/or take a number of pictures andtransmit them for the remote server for verification and authenticationof the recipient.

In another embodiment, in addition or instead of employing facerecognition to authenticate the user, the recipient may record areaction of himself/herself while wiping the screen clean to view thecontent. The reaction may be a video recording during and/or afterwiping the screen by the recipient, or one or more pictures. In oneembodiment, when the recipient views the touch screen 132 that iscovered by the obscured layer, a live video feed 620 is shown in thescreen as described above. The video frame 620 may include a cancelbutton 610. The recipient may touch the cancel button to decline beingrecorded. If the cancel button is not touched and the recipient startswiping the screen, then such action may be interpreted as consent of therecipient for recording a reaction and the cancel button 610 maydisappear as shown in FIG. 16, and show the recipient's face while thescreen is being wiped. In one embodiment, shown in FIG. 17, recipient'sreaction may then be transmitted back to the sender. The reaction may bea video and or one or more pictures. Also, as shown in FIG. 17, thetouch screen 132 may display both the reaction 640 and a recoding of thewiping action 630 by the recipient so that the sender can observe thechange in recipient's reaction in response to portion of the contentthat is being wiped clean. In one embodiment, the location of thereaction image/video and wiping action 630 may be switched such that thereaction frame is smaller than wiping action 630. In another embodiment,a user may determine the location of each of these views on the screenand/or touch each one to switch it location with the other on the touchscreen 132.

In one embodiment, the sender of the content may specify that arecording of reaction by the recipient is mandatory. Therefore, therecipient may not have the option of touching the cancel button 610 todecline the recording of reaction. In addition, a face detection module(which may be part of other module(s) 103 in FIG. 1) may monitor thevideo feed from the front facing camera 134 and determine whether or nota face is substantially in front of the camera. As shown in FIG. 18,when a face is in front of the camera, the recipient may wipe thescreen. However, if the face detection module cannot detect a full faceas shown in FIG. 19, then the screen may become fully obscured and thewiping action disabled until a face is again detected.

In one embodiment, shown in FIG. 20, in addition or instead ofauthenticating the recipient by facial recognition as described above,the recipient may be authenticated via biometric information such asfingerprint. In one embodiment, the recipient is instructed to placehis/her finger on a finger print scanner coupled to the portablemultifunction device 100 and a fingerprint is scanned and authenticatedby the device. Some portable multifunction devices are equipped withfinger print scanners and can be used for this operation. For exampleiPhone and Samsung Galaxy smart phones both have build in fingerprintscanners that can be utilized for authenticating users.

In one embodiment, in order to prevent the recipient from saving thecontent, one or more buttons and/or sensors of the portablemultifunction device 100 may 100 that can be used to take a screenshotmay be monitored to detect whether or not they are about to be used forsuch purpose. For example, as shown in FIG. 21, a screenshot usingiPhones can be taken by pressing the “home” button and the “powerbutton” on the side or top if the device. Some iPhones are equipped witha “touchID” sensor that can be sued for scanning fingerprints. Differentparts of the “home button” which include the touchID sensor are shown inFIG. 22. iPhone's touchID comprises of a sapphire-crystal cover 810,detection ring 820, touchID sensor 830 and tactile switch 840. Thedetection ring 820 is configured to detect whether a finger is touchingthe “home button”. In one embodiment, if the detection ring detects thepresence of the finger on the home button, the touch screen 132 maybecome fully obscured and the recipient is prevented from wiping thescreen until the finger is removed. This technique is particularlyuseful in situations where two people coordinate to take a screenshotfrom the content. As shown in FIG. 20, one user may assume the positionof taking a screenshot while the other is wiping the screen. Even thoughthat such screen shot will not save the entire content due to the factthat the screen is becoming re-obscured while the user is wiping. Ascreenshot may save a part of the content. However, when placement of afinger on the home button is detected, the screen may become fullyobscured and the wiping action may not clear the screen until the fingeris removed. One example of touch ID sensor is disclosed in the U.S. Pat.No. 9,030,440B2 (grant) entitled “Capacitive Sensor Packaging.”

In some embodiments, heuristics are used to translate imprecise fingergesture into actions desired by the user. A gesture recognizer algorithmof an operating system may capture the above-noted wiping action byfinger stroke and may apply one or more heuristics to translate thefinger strokes (e.g. A2, A4, and A6) into paths that include pixel datafrom the original image.

In one embodiment, in addition or instead of sending the content throughthe secure display module 104 such that the recipient also views thecontent via an equivalent module on his/her portable multifunctiondevice, the content may be generated through the secure display modulebut transmitted through any other third party communication platform.For example, a sender may generate the content using the secure displaymodule 104, but post a link to the content on social media or transferthat link though another module (e.g. a messaging app) to a recipient.When the link is activated, the content may load in a web-basedenvironment or load an appropriate module such as the secure displaymobile 104.

In some embodiments, the sender of the content may be able to determinecertain criteria that dictate how the recipient views the content. Forexample, the sender may determine the following:

-   -   Sender may determine how long the content can be viewed. In one        embodiment, the sender may set a message viewing time. When the        receiver starts viewing the content, the content disappears        after expiry of the message viewing time.    -   The sender may determine the width of a finger stroke that        clears the path of the touch screen. For example, the sender may        determine that whatever the width of recipient's natural finger        stroke, the finger stroke that is applied by the touch screen is        either less or more than the natural finger stroke width of the        recipient. If, for example, the sender wants to make it easier        for the recipient to view the content as he/she is wiping the        touch screen, the sender may set the width of the finger stroke        to be 2× of recipient's natural finger stroke width.    -   The sender may set a predetermined amount of time where the        obscured layer reclaims the view and obscures the content.    -   The sender may determine the level of transparency of layers        410-430 in FIG. 12. And the sender may also determine the        predetermined amount of time where the layers 410-430 are        applied to the content.    -   In one embodiment, if the receiver lifts his/her finger off the        touch screen while viewing the content, the obscured layer may        fill the entire screen. The sender may determine after what        amount of time this happens and may also allow the process to        continue (i.e. the obscured layer gradually reclaim the wiped        area of the screen) without the obscured layer filling the        entire content.    -   The sender may determine that a reaction to the content (as        described with respect to FIG. 14) is required and the recipient        cannot view the content without recording a reaction.    -   In one embodiment, the recipient of the content may have the        option of forwarding a received content to another portable        multifunction device. However, the sender may determine that        content cannot be forwarded by the recipient to another portable        multifunction device of another person.    -   In one embodiment, the sender may recall a message and if the        recall operation is completed before viewing the content of the        message by the recipient, the recipient may be notified that a        message was recalled.    -   In one embodiment, content may be available to view for a        predetermined amount of time, and it may expire and deleted from        the server if not viewed within the time limit. In one        embodiment, the sender may determine the expiry time for a        message. For example, the sender may determine that the content        can be viewed within three hours from transmission or receipt by        the recipient.    -   In one embodiment, if a message is expired, the sender can        activate a resend function (e.g. by pressing a resend button) to        resend the content.    -   In one embodiment, the sender may include a challenge response        that the recipient needs to provide a correct answer for before        being able to view the content. For example, in one embodiment,        the challenge response may be a password, a quiz designed by the        sender, a decryption key or any other means that can be used to        lock and unlock a message.    -   In one embodiment, the sender may require that the recipient be        authenticated with biometric info such as fingerprint, voice        sample authentication, face recognition, or any combination of        these before viewing the content.

In some embodiments, the recipient of the content may be able todetermine certain criteria that determine how content is viewed. Forexample, the recipient may determine the following:

-   -   In one embodiment, the recipient may determine the width of a        finger stroke that clears the path of the touch screen. For        example, the recipient may determine that whatever the width of        recipient's natural finger stroke, the finger stroke that is        applied by the touch screen is either less or more than the        natural finger stroke width of the recipient. The recipient may        set the width of the finger stroke to be 2× of recipient's        natural finger stroke width.    -   In one embodiment, the recipient may request for more time to        view the message either by requesting from the sender to        increase the time limit for viewing the content both for the        time limit that the recipient has to view the content and for        time limit that determines how long the content remains visible        on the screen. In one embodiment, the recipient may request for        more time by paying an amount of money to buy more time to view        the content.    -   In one embodiment, when the recipient's reaction is being        recorded, a face detection algorithm may detect whether the        recipient is smiling, laughing or makes any other facial        gestures. The facial gesture of the recipient may be associated        with an emoticon (emoji) or any drawing or artwork that        resembles the recipient's facial gesture. The emoticon and/or        the drawing can then be sent back to the sender so that the        sender is informed of how the recipient reacted to the message.    -   In one embodiment, when the recipient is done with viewing the        content, he/she can send a text message in reply to the content.        This text message may be in addition or in instead of a recorded        reaction which may be an image or a video or both. In one        embodiment, the recipient may be presented with an option to        send a text message right after viewing the content. If the        recipient sends a text message, the sender may receive that text        message separately on the same user interface that includes the        recorded reaction or as part of the recorded reaction. In one        embodiment, the text message may be transferred through a        different software application.

Below are some additional exemplary embodiments of the invention:

1. A computing device, comprising:

a touch screen display;

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in thememory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, theone or more programs including:

instructions for detecting one or more finger contacts with the touchscreen display; and

instructions for drawing one or more images on the touch screen displaycomprising:

saving in memory, data associated with locations of the finger contactswith the touch screen display;

locating stroke image data associated with a first image, using the dataassociated with locations of the finger contacts with the touch screendisplay, wherein the stroke image data corresponds to pixel data of thefirst image that are located in the same coordinates as the locations ofthe one or more finger contacts; and

drawing a display image on the touch screen display, wherein the displayimage is comprised of image data from the first image and a secondimage, and wherein the image data from the first image comprise of thestroke image data.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein a subsequent display imageis drawn in response to detecting each of the one or more fingercontacts.3. The computing device of claim 2, wherein as the subsequent displayimage is drawn, the stroke image data from the first image is replacedwith image data from the second image.4. The computing device of claim 3, wherein the stroke image data fromthe first image is replaced with image data from the second image aftera predetermined amount of time.5. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the first image is a visibleimage.6. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the second image is anobscured image.7. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the obscured portionincludes Gaussian blur of the first image.8. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the instructions for drawingone or more images on the touch screen display is executed each time oneor more finger contacts with the touch screen is detected.9. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the instructions for drawingone or more images on the touch screen display is executed at a rate of60 frames per seconds.10. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the instructions fordrawing one or more images on the touch screen display is executed at arate equivalent to a refresh rate defined by the touch screen display.11. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the instructions fordrawing one or more images on the touch screen display is executed at arate between 40 to 120 frames per seconds.12. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the instructions fordetecting one or more finger contacts with the touch screen displaydetects one or more finger contacts on the touch screen moving in anydirection.13. A method comprising:

detecting one or more finger contacts on a touch screen display; and

drawing one or more images on the touch screen display in response todetecting the one or more finger contacts, wherein drawing one or moreimages comprises the steps of:

locating stroke image data associated with a first image, using the dataassociated with locations of the finger contacts with the touch screendisplay, wherein the stroke image data corresponds to pixel data of thefirst image that are located in the same coordinates as the locations ofthe one or more finger contacts; and

drawing a display image on the touch screen display, wherein the displayimage is comprised of image data from the first image and a secondimage, and wherein the image data from the first image comprise of thestroke image data.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein a subsequent display image is drawnin response to detecting each of the one or more finger contacts.15. The method of claim 14, wherein as the subsequent display image isdrawn, the stroke image data from the first image is replaced with imagedata from the second image.16. The method of claim 15, wherein the stroke image data from the firstimage is replaced with image data from the second image after apredetermined amount of time.17. The method of claim 13, wherein the first image is a visible image.18. The method of claim 13, wherein the second image is an obscuredimage.19. The method of claim 13, wherein the obscured portion includesGaussian blur of the first image.20. The method of claim 13, wherein drawing one or more images on thetouch screen display is executed each time one or more finger contactswith the touch screen is detected.21. The method of claim 20, wherein the instructions for drawing one ormore images on the touch screen display is executed at a rate of 60frames per seconds.22. The method of claim 20, wherein the instructions for drawing one ormore images on the touch screen display is executed at a rate equivalentto a refresh rate defined by the touch screen display.23. The method of claim 20, wherein the instructions for drawing one ormore images on the touch screen display is executed at a rate between 40to 120 frames per seconds.24. The method of claim 20, wherein the instructions for detecting oneor more finger contacts with the touch screen display detects one ormore finger contacts on the touch screen moving in any direction.25. A computing device, comprising:

a touch screen display;

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in thememory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, theone or more programs configured to:

display electronic content on the touchscreen display, wherein theelectronic content is hidden behind an obscured layer;

detect one or more finger strokes on the touchscreen display, when afinger interacts with the touchscreen display;

remove the obscured layer from only the areas on the screen touched bythe finger in any direction; and

apply a first semi-transparent layer, after a predetermined amount oftime, to the areas of the screen where obscured layer was removed,wherein the electronic content is partially visible through the firstsemi-transparent layer.

26. The computing device of claim 25, wherein the one or more programsis further configured to:

apply a second transparent layer, after a predetermined amount of time,to the areas of the screen where obscured layer was removed, wherein theelectronic content is partially visible through the secondsemi-transparent layer, and wherein the visibility of the electroniccontent through the second semi-transparent layer is less than the firstsemi-transparent layer.

27. The computing device of claim 25, wherein one or more programs isfurther configured to:

apply the obscured layer to the areas where the first semi-transparentwas applied, after a predetermined amount of time, wherein during thetime frame where the obscured layer is removed and applied, theelectronic content is partially visible through the firstsemi-transparent layer.

28. The computing device of claim 25, wherein the electronic content isa digital image.29. The computing device of claim 25, wherein the electronic content isa video.30. The computing device of claim 25, wherein the obscured layer isremoved from an area on the touchscreen display that corresponds to thewidth of the finger on a location on the touchscreen display that issubstantially underneath the finger stroke.31. The computing device of claim 25, wherein the finger stroke can movein any direction on the touch screen display.32. The computing device of claim 25, wherein as the obscured layer isremoved from selective areas of the touchscreen display based on thedirection of the finger stroke, same areas of the touch screen displayare occupied by the semi-transparent layer in the order in which theobscured layer was removed form the touchscreen display and thenobscured with the obscured layer and creating a gradual fading of theelectronic content followed by a tracing effect wherein the obscuredlayer follows the finger stroke with a time delay and obscures thetouchscreen display.33. A method comprising:

displaying electronic content on the touchscreen display, wherein theelectronic content is hidden behind an obscured layer;

detecting one or more finger strokes on the touchscreen display, when afinger interacts with the touchscreen display;

removing the obscured layer from only the areas on the screen touched bythe finger in any direction; and

applying a first semi-transparent layer, after a predetermined amount oftime, to the areas of the screen where obscured layer was removed,wherein the electronic content is partially visible through the firstsemi-transparent layer.

34. The method of claim 33, the method further comprising:

applying a second transparent layer, after a predetermined amount oftime, to the areas of the screen where obscured layer was removed,wherein the electronic content is partially visible through the secondsemi-transparent layer, and

wherein the visibility of the electronic content through the secondsemi-transparent layer is less than the first semi-transparent layer.

35. The method of claim 33, the method further comprising:

applying the obscured layer to the areas where the firstsemi-transparent was applied, after a predetermined amount of time,wherein during the time frame where the obscured layer is removed andapplied, the electronic content is partially visible through the firstsemi-transparent layer.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein the electronic content is a digitalimage.37. The method of claim 33, wherein the electronic content is a video.38. The method of claim 33, wherein the obscured layer is removed froman area on the touchscreen display that corresponds to the width of thefinger on a location on the touchscreen display that is substantiallyunderneath the finger stroke.39. The method of claim 33, wherein the finger stroke can move in anydirection on the touch screen display.40. The method of claim 9, wherein as the obscured layer is removed fromselective areas of the touchscreen display based on the direction of thefinger stroke, same areas of the touch screen display are occupied bythe semi-transparent layer in the order in which the obscured layer wasremoved form the touchscreen display and then obscured with the obscuredlayer and creating a gradual fading of the electronic content followedby a tracing effect wherein the obscured layer follows the finger strokewith a time delay and obscures the touchscreen display.41. A computing device, comprising:

a touch screen display;

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in thememory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, theone or more programs including:

instructions for detecting one or more finger contacts with the touchscreen display; and

instructions for drawing one or more images on the touch screen displaycomprising:

saving in memory, data associated with locations of the finger contactswith the touch screen display;

locating stroke image data associated with a first image, using the dataassociated with locations of the finger contacts with the touch screendisplay, wherein the stroke image data corresponds to pixel data of thefirst image that are located in the same coordinates as the locations ofthe one or more finger contacts; and

drawing a display image on the touch screen display, wherein the displayimage is comprised of image data from the first image, a second imageand a third image, and wherein the image data from the first imagecomprise of the stroke image data, and wherein a portion of the thirdimage is added to a portion of image data from the first image.

42. The computing device of claim 41, wherein a subsequent display imageis drawn in response to detecting each of the one or more fingercontacts.43. The computing device of claim 42, wherein as the subsequent displayimage is drawn, the stroke image data from the first image is replacedwith image data from the second image.44. The computing device of claim 43, wherein the stroke image data fromthe first image is replaced with image data from the second image aftera predetermined amount of time.45. The computing device of claim 41, wherein the first image is avisible image.46. The computing device of claim 41, wherein the second image is anobscured image.48. The computing device of claim 41, wherein the obscured portionincludes Gaussian blur of the first image.49. The computing device of claim 41, wherein the instructions fordrawing one or more images on the touch screen display is executed eachtime one or more finger contacts with the touch screen is detected.50. The computing device of claim 49, wherein the instructions fordrawing one or more images on the touch screen display is executed at arate of 60 frames per seconds.51. The computing device of claim 49, wherein the instructions fordrawing one or more images on the touch screen display is executed at arate equivalent to a refresh rate defined by the touch screen display.52. The computing device of claim 49, wherein the instructions fordrawing one or more images on the touch screen display is executed at arate between 40 to 120 frames per seconds.53. The computing device of claim 49, wherein the instructions fordetecting one or more finger contacts with the touch screen displaydetects one or more finger contacts on the touch screen moving in anydirection.54. An electronic device for securely displaying electronic data, thedevice comprising:

-   -   a touch screen display;    -   a camera;    -   one or more processors;    -   memory; and    -   one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are        stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or        more processors, the one or more programs configured to:        -   receive electronic data from a server computer;        -   display the electronic data on the touch screen display,            wherein the electronic data is hidden behind an obscured            layer;        -   detect one or more finger strokes on the touch screen            display, when a finger interacts with the touchscreen            display;        -   remove the obscured layer from only the areas on the screen            touched by the finger in any direction; and        -   record a video using the camera in response to detecting one            or more finger strokes on the touch screen display.            55. The electronic device of claim 54, wherein the one or            more programs configured to:

detect a presence of a face from the video recorded using the camera;

wherein removal of the obscured layer is only possible when a face isdetected.

56. The electronic device of claim 54, wherein the one or more programsconfigured to:

detect a presence of a face from the video recorded using the camera;

authenticate an identity of a person associated with the face; and

removing the obscured layer from only the areas on the screen touched bythe finger in any direction when the authentication is successful.

57. The electronic device of claim 54, wherein the one or more programsconfigured to send the video recorded using the camera to the servercomputer.58. The electronic device of claim 54, wherein the one or more programsconfigured to send data associated with the location of removal of theobscured layer to the server computer.59. The electronic device of claim 54, wherein the one or more programsconfigured to:

-   -   send the video recorded using the camera to the server computer;        and    -   send data associated with the location of removal of the        obscured layer to the server computer; wherein the server        computer transmits the video and the data associated with the        location of the removal of the obscured layer to another        electronic device associated with a sender of the electronic        data.        60. The electronic device of claim 54, wherein the electronic        data is a digital image.        61. The electronic device of claim 54, wherein the electronic        data is a video.        62. A server computer configured to transmit electronic data        between a first electronic device and a second electronic        device; the server comprising:    -   one or more processors;    -   memory; and    -   one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are        stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or        more processors, the one or more programs configured to:        -   receive electronic data from the first electronic device;        -   send the electronic device to the second electronic device;        -   receive data from the second electronic device, associated            with displaying a portion of the electronic data on a screen            of the second electronic device;        -   receive a video from the second electronic device, wherein            the video is recorded while the portion of the electronic            data is displayed on the second electronic device; and        -   send the data and the video received from the second            electronic device to the first electronic device.            63. The server computer of claim 62, wherein the first            electronic device includes a touch screen display.            64. A method of providing feedback to a sender of a message            comprising:    -   displaying the message to a recipient of the message;    -   recording a video from the recipient of the message as the        message is displayed;    -   analyzing the video for detecting one or more facial patterns of        the recipient of the message;    -   associating an image with the video based on facial patterns of        the recipient of the message; and        sending the image to a server computer, wherein the server        computer sends the image back to the sender of the message.        65. A method of sending a message comprising:    -   applying an obscured layer to the message wherein the message is        not fully visible through the obscured layer; and    -   creating an animated gif file from the message, wherein the        animated gif file animates a removal of the obscured layer from        a portion of the message thereby making a portion of the message        partially visible.        66. The method of claim 65, wherein removal of the obscured        layer is based on detecting a predetermined portion of the        message and selectively removing the obscured layer from the        predetermined portion.        67. The method of claim 66, wherein the message is an image.        68. The method of claim 67, wherein the predetermined portion is        an area of the image where a human eye is located.        69. A computing device comprising:    -   a finger detection sensor;    -   a touch screen display;    -   one or more processors;    -   one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are        stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or        more processors, the one or more programs configured to:    -   detect presence of a finger on the finger detection sensor; and    -   display an obscured layer on the touch screen display in        response to detection of presence of the finger on the finger        detection sensor.        70. The computing device of claim 69, wherein the obscured layer        obscures a message displayed on the touch screen display.        71. The computing device of claim 69, wherein the obscured layer        obscures an image displayed on the touch screen display.        72. The computing device of claim 69, wherein the obscured layer        obscures a video displayed on the touch screen display and stops        the playback of the video.        73. A method of viewing digital content on a touch screen        display comprising:

moving a finger on the touch screen display in any direction while thefinger maintains physical contact with the touch screen display, whereinthe touch screen display is covered by an obscured layer, and whereinmovement of the finger on while maintaining physical contact with thetouch screen display partially removes the obscured layer from the touchscreen display.

74. The method of claim 73, wherein the obscured layer obscures theportion of the touch screen display that was cleared as a result ofmoving the finger after a predetermined amount of time.74. The method of claim 74, wherein when the obscured layer obscured theportion of the touch screen display that was cleared as a result ofmoving the finger, additional movement of the finger over same area ofthe touch screen display again removes the obscured layer.75. The method of claim 74, wherein when the finger losses the physicalcontact with the touch screen display, the entirety of the touch screendisplay is obscured.

The software components or functions described in this application maybe implemented as software code to be executed by one or more processorsusing any suitable computer language such as, for example, Objective C,C#, Java, C++ or Perl using, for example, conventional orobject-oriented techniques. The software code may be stored as a seriesof instructions, or commands on a computer-readable medium, such as arandom access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a magnetic mediumsuch as a hard-drive or a floppy disk. Any such computer-readable mediummay also reside on or within a single computational apparatus, and maybe present on or within different computational apparatuses within asystem or network.

Embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in the form ofcontrol logic in software or hardware or a combination of both. Thecontrol logic may be stored in an information storage medium as aplurality of instructions adapted to direct an information processingdevice to perform a set of steps disclosed in embodiments of the presentinvention. Based on the disclosure and teachings provided herein, aperson of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate other ways and/ormethods to implement the present invention.

In embodiments, any of the entities described herein may be embodied bya computer that performs any or all of the functions and stepsdisclosed.

Any recitation of “a”, “an” or “the” is intended to mean “one or more”unless specifically indicated to the contrary.

The above description is illustrative and is not restrictive. Manyvariations of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in theart upon review of the disclosure. The scope of the invention should,therefore, be determined not with reference to the above description,but instead should be determined with reference to the pending claimsalong with their full scope or equivalents.

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 18. (canceled)
 19. (canceled)
 20. A method comprising:detecting one or more finger contacts on a touch screen display; anddrawing one or more images on the touch screen display in response todetecting the one or more finger contacts, wherein drawing one or moreimages comprises: locating stroke image data associated with a firstimage, using data associated with locations of the finger contacts withthe touch screen display, wherein the stroke image data corresponds topixel data of the first image that are located in the same coordinatesas the locations of the one or more finger contacts; and drawing adisplay image on the touch screen display, wherein the display image iscomprised of image data from the first image and a second image, andwherein the image data from the first image comprises the stroke imagedata.
 21. The method of claim 20, wherein a subsequent display image isdrawn in response to detecting each of the one or more finger contacts.22. The method of claim 21, wherein as the subsequent display image isdrawn, the stroke image data from the first image is replaced with imagedata from the second image.
 23. The method of claim 22, wherein thestroke image data from the first image is replaced with image data fromthe second image after a predetermined amount of time.
 24. The method ofclaim 20, wherein the first image is a visible image.
 25. The method ofclaim 20, wherein the second image is an obscured image.
 26. The methodof claim 25, wherein obscured portion of the obscured image includesGaussian blur of the first image.
 27. The method of claim 20, whereininstructions for drawing one or more images on the touch screen displayare executed each time one or more finger contacts with the touch screenis detected.
 28. The method of claim 27, wherein the instructions fordrawing one or more images on the touch screen display are executed at arate equivalent to a refresh rate defined by the touch screen display.29. The method of claim 27, wherein the instructions for drawing one ormore images on the touch screen display are executed at a rate between40 to 120 frames per second.
 30. The method of claim 27, whereininstructions for detecting one or more finger contacts with the touchscreen display detect one or more finger contacts on the touch screenmoving in any direction.
 31. A computing device, comprising: a touchscreen display; one or more processors; a memory; and one or moreprograms, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory andconfigured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or moreprograms configured to: display electronic content on the touchscreendisplay, wherein the electronic content is hidden behind an obscuredlayer; detect one or more finger strokes on the touchscreen display,when a finger interacts with the touchscreen display; remove theobscured layer from only the areas on the screen touched by the fingerin any direction; and apply a first semi-transparent layer, after apredetermined amount of time, to the areas of the screen where theobscured layer was removed, wherein the electronic content is partiallyvisible through the first semi-transparent layer.
 32. The computingdevice of claim 31, wherein the one or more programs are furtherconfigured to: apply a second transparent layer, after a predeterminedamount of time, to the areas of the screen where the obscured layer wasremoved, wherein the electronic content is partially visible through thesecond semi-transparent layer, and wherein the visibility of theelectronic content through the second semi-transparent layer is lessthan the first semi-transparent layer.
 33. The computing device of claim31, wherein the one or more programs are further configured to: applythe obscured layer to the areas where the first semi-transparent wasapplied, after a predetermined amount of time, wherein during the timeframe where the obscured layer is removed and applied, the electroniccontent is partially visible through the first semi-transparent layer.34. The computing device of claim 31, wherein the obscured layer isremoved from an area on the touchscreen display that corresponds to thewidth of the finger on a location on the touchscreen display that issubstantially underneath the finger stroke.
 35. The computing device ofclaim 32, wherein as the obscured layer is removed from selective areasof the touchscreen display based on the direction of the finger stroke,same areas of the touch screen display are occupied by thesemi-transparent layer in the order in which the obscured layer wasremoved from the touchscreen display and then obscured with the obscuredlayer and creating a gradual fading of the electronic content followedby a tracing effect wherein the obscured layer follows the finger strokewith a time delay and obscures the touchscreen display.
 36. A computingdevice, comprising: a touch screen display; one or more processors; amemory; and one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs arestored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or moreprocessors, the one or more programs including: instructions fordetecting one or more finger contacts with the touch screen display; andinstructions for drawing one or more images on the touch screen display,comprising: saving in memory, data associated with locations of thefinger contacts with the touch screen display; locating stroke imagedata associated with a first image, using the data associated withlocations of the finger contacts with the touch screen display, whereinthe stroke image data corresponds to pixel data of the first image thatare located in the same coordinates as the locations of the one or morefinger contacts; and drawing a display image on the touch screendisplay, wherein the display image is comprised of image data from thefirst image, a second image and a third image, and wherein the imagedata from the first image comprises the stroke image data, and wherein aportion of the third image is added to a portion of image data from thefirst image.
 37. The computing device of claim 36, wherein a subsequentdisplay image is drawn in response to detecting each of the one or morefinger contacts.
 38. The computing device of claim 37, wherein as thesubsequent display image is drawn, the stroke image data from the firstimage is replaced with image data from the second image.
 39. Thecomputing device of claim 36, wherein the second image is an obscuredimage, and wherein an obscured portion of the obscured image includesGaussian blur of the first image.